John Cage appeared on an Italian quizshow. Jean Genet stole rare books. Emily Carr reared bobtails. And Kathy Acker did X-rated acts with her boyfriend \u2026 we explore the unlikely sidelines of struggling artists<\/p>\n
Before he pioneered a new genre of semi-autobiographical writing, the great French novelist and playwright Jean Genet pioneered something very different indeed: a special briefcase for stealing valuable books that he would later resell \u2013 after reading them first, of course. \u201cI perfected a trick briefcase,\u201d he later recalled, \u201cand I became so handy in these thefts that I could push politeness to the point of pulling them off under the very nose of the bookseller.\u201d<\/p>\n
For as long as young people have dreamed of careers in the arts \u2013 as novelists, painters, poets, musicians and other species \u2013 they have had to measure their dreams against their economic circumstances. Often they have found a yawning gap between what they hope to do and what they have the means to pay for.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/309943100c503806d407ec1b9519e0583757d6bd\/0_75_2125_1699\/master\/2125.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=751cf850bf3b29f74ecb176bbe334d41\" "\\"Shoplifting,")
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